DRAKKARUS are a five piece outfit from Dubbo in New South Wales. This is their very first release. They blend a number of different styles in this album and they try some stuff on songs and then try other stuff on songs. This hurts the flow of the album persay and it's inconsistent to say the least. It seemed pretty much to be more an experiment than anything else. It's like throwing pasta on the wall and hoping it would stick. I felt maybe the album was a bit rushed in that sense. The sound hasn't been defined yet and at least they are trying and there is no lack of effort on their part that's for sure.

I don't know much Metal bands from Australia and New Zealand, so it was a surprise to know that they were from New South Wales. The sound of the band was very reminiscent of European Folk Metal so when I found out they weren't European, it definitely was a pleasant surprise. You can see the influence from bands like KHEMMIS, ARKONA, ENSIFERUM amongst others. They try to emulate what they learned from those bands and implemented them on this release.

Blending the Folk Metal stylings from the European counterparts but adding some growling and some guttural vocals. As for the growling parts, well, it takes a time to get used to it. Once you get used to it, it's ok. It does get on the nerves because the music is so rich and upbeat, then you get the guttural vocals that pretty much ruined most of the songs of the album. I know they tried to mix Black/Death Metal Vocals with the Folk Metal formula but I felt it just wasn't the right fit. Is it original, yes it is, I haven't heard anything resembling this but I just don't think both styles mix well together. All in all, its my personal opinion. I usually like harsh vocals when it mixes well with the ambiance and the music altogether but not this time.

Most songs are interchangeable, most songs start off with the instrumental parts which are well done and well-coordinated and then you get the harsh vocals. There is no rhyme or reason; most songs are like that on this album. It's not what I was hoping for when I saw Folk Metal in the description of the band. As for the production, it seems to have some pretty serious issues. I thought my MP3 player was playing tricks on me but I listened to it on different platforms. The ending of the songs seem to be cut and the beginning of the songs seem to begin with a slight delay. This hurt the overall flow of the album. They are a new band and an independent one as well, so the production will keep getting better in the future, I have no doubt about that.

There is a lot left for improvement and these guys are very young, when they will find that definite sound, they are a band to look forward to in the coming future.